There is a thin line between legal advice and legal information. Whether one is meeting with a criminal defense attorney oakland county for a consultation or speaking to one online, it is important to understand the two.

In general, only a licensed attorney can give legal advice. Non-legal professionals can recite legal information, but not provide official advice. It is illegal, typically, for a non-licensed attorney to give legal advice too.

Legal advice is the written or oral counsel provided by an attorney. It will refer to the rights of the client receiving the help. Also, to qualify as valid legal advice, the individual must provide the client or person with an analysis of the law and how it applies to their case. Providing a speculation on generic facts is not considered legal advice.

It is a criminal defense attorney in Oakland County’s job to provide their client or individuals that come in for a consultation legal advice. However, there must be a clear client-attorney relationship for that information to be considered “advice.”

Identifying Legal Advice Further

Receiving advice from a family member or friend is not regarded as legal advice, especially if that person is not a licensed attorney. When actual legal advice is provided, it forms the bond of attorney-client relationship, and that relationship is based on the matter the client meets with the attorney about.

To be legal advice, the information provided by the attorney must have the following characteristics:

• The information must require legal knowledge, judgment, and education.

• The advice must affect a person’s legal rights or legal responsibilities.

• The advice must create a relationship between the individual giving advice and the individual receiving advice.

• The advice must apply to a particular law and set of circumstances that are within that law.